Skip to ContentSkip to Navigation
About us Latest news News

Biomembrane to clear up oil spills wins KIJK People’s Choice Award

06 October 2021

Biomembrane SAVER has won the People’s Choice Award for KIJK’s best Tech-idea. This membrane, made from natural components, is able to separate oil from water and is fully recyclable. SAVER was developed by polymer scientists from the research group led by Prof. Katja Loos and researchers from NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences.

With no less than 3,600 votes, SAVER 19 left other ideas far behind. In November, KIJK will be paying extensive attention to SAVER.

Battling pollution with malic acid

We have all seen the images of huge oil spills in our oceans. Removing this oil pollution poses a big challenge. Researchers from the UG and NHL Stenden have been working together in a hybrid research group to find a solution. Katja Loos, Chongnan Ye, Rik Brouwer, Renato Lemos Cosse, Vincent Voet, and Rudy Folkersma developed a strong biomembrane made from the organic compound malic acid. The membrane is a so-called super-amphiphile. This means that the material has an affinity for oil as well as water, just like soap. Because of this, it can separate these two components. When the pores of the membrane become clogged, it can be recycled completely, after which the purified building blocks can be re-used to create a new membrane.

More information

The hybrid research group that developed SAVER: Katja Loos, Chongnan Ye, Rik Brouwer, Renato Lemos Cosse, Vincent Voet en Rudy Folkersma
The hybrid research group that developed SAVER: Katja Loos, Chongnan Ye, Rik Brouwer, Renato Lemos Cosse, Vincent Voet en Rudy Folkersma
Last modified:29 August 2022 09.59 a.m.
View this page in: Nederlands

More news

  • 05 June 2023

    Rehabilitation through virtual reality games

    Digital Health Care Technologies, also known as eHealth, could drastically change the field of healthcare. The combination of Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, wearables, telehealth, telemonitoring, and Artificial Intelligence is opening new...

  • 30 May 2023

    Godwit migration is learned rather than innate

    The timing, route, and destination for godwit migration is learned rather than innate. Researchers at the University of Groningen discovered this in a daring experiment, which has been published in the latest issue of the journal Current Biology.

  • 30 May 2023

    SNN funding for Avraamidou and Sburlea

    The grant is worth EUR 500,000, of which Avraamidou and Sburlea receive around EUR 100,000.